Where have all the customers gone?

[Grahame Case]

Anyone else noticed a drop in footfall and spending over the past month?

we have entered a retail drought and are getting a little worried.

Here is hoping that the winter shopping season arrives very very soon!

[stcstc]

actually no i havent noticed

In fact my business is growing at over 100% a month!!

[Jonny2morsos]

Exactly the opposite here, we had a quietish June/early July and then once the schools finished for summer (late July down here) it went crazy. Last year summer holidays were quiet so can't work that out. Since the schools went back it has tailed off a little but not much.

Expecting a bumper Christmas this year. My wife has even started shopping for Christmas presents if that is any indication! and some of them are wrapped already!! Oh, and the Christmas cake is made which reminds me I must get some cooking brandy tomorrow before she feeds all the good stuff I brought back of holiday to the cake.

Hope you see an upturn shortly which I think you will.

John.

[Roboframer]

I have not been able to get stuff 'for the shop' done - like ready made frames and mounts, or stuff to hang on the walls, for quite a long time. When a framed picture is sold I'm happy (of course), but at the same time I'm thinking - DANG! What am I going to fill that gap with?

Just too busy - two of us going at it all day - with stuff to order. Today, for example - we JUST about managed to complete tomorrow's orders by 17:30 - and I hate cutting it that fine - I like to be a few days ahead - and I'd phone customers to say their work will not be ready (due to a 'supplier problem' of course) before I'd stay on after hours - but I'd do that if I had to.

Then there's 'The Other Side' - which is getting busier and busier all the time - I think this year may be the first year that sales from it surpass framing & art (profit won't though )

Craft shops around us are dying - from long-established places to newer ones that only ever played at it, eventually their customers find us - and then see what else we do.

I'd love to boast of some fabulous business plan/marketting strategy that I could share - but the truth is we just never wanted to commute to work and allowed what we have to evolve by demand.

[Not your average framer]

Hi Grahame,

We are doing well at the moment. However, since the weather is getting cooler down here in Devon, perhaps it's getting a lot cooler in Scotland. Maybe they're busy spending their spare cash on winter clothing.

We've been getting some signs of things being framed for Christmas, so hopefully it'll soon be time for the Christmas rush. Then you'll be worked of your feet and longing for a rest!

I hope things will soon improve for you.

[David]

We are finding business very erratic, through August and start of September it went nuts, then the last 3 weeks it just seems to have died which has meant we have caught up again. Last Saturday could have been a wet Tuesday in February, today was better which was a relief because you don't know how long it will go on for, but I've been at this long enough to be not too worried(at the moment) the work will come in but there is no telling exactly when. At one time you'd be sure of taking the most orders on a Saturday not any more. There's no pattern or reason anymore, not that I can see anyway.

I'm sure you will start picking up soon it all seems to average out in the end.

David.